Tips to get the most out of Duolingo
Duolingo is a useful app for learning a new language. It is useful of course, but how to get the most out of it. These tips will help you to learn a new language with Duolingo in a much more efficient way.
I have used Duolingo since 2013 in an attempt to learn German with the dream to continue my study in Germany someday. I have to admit that for the very first years, I was not so serious about it. Just last year when I have changed my mind and experimented with several approaches to squeeze out every drop of the juice from it, and these are the tips I found to make your language learning in Duolingo very efficient.
1 . Use it (extensively) every day
Not only using it every day, but also use it a lot. One thing you should know is learning Duolingo 10 XP a day for thousand days in a row will not make you more fluent in any language. Those 10,000 XP are just in vain. Why? because to learn a new language you need extreme immersion, and spreading it overs years (but do it a little a day) will never do the trick.
The much better way is to use it extensively. I would say 20–30 minutes a day should be a minimum if you really want to progress in language learning. The 10,000 XP in years will never work, but the 10,000 XP in two weeks can do the job. I found that after changing my routine to use Duolingo at least 30 minutes every day just for a few months, I have learned much more than all the past years combined.
2. Use dictation
Typing and arranging word blocks are okay. But if you really want to speed your learning, use dictation (typing words and sentences with your voice).
Simply just say it instead of type it. Nowadays, most mobile phones can dictate your voice precisely. It will not only force you to practice speaking in a correct way (otherwise, it will not be correctly recognized by the phone), but also force you to speak continuously as a sentence block. I found it is powerful with timed practice or something like “XP Ramp Up Challenge” when you have to be fast. Over time, this will override the translation process and you can speak automatically without thinking back and forth between the new language and English (or your mother tongue).
3. Use other means of practice
Duolingo is not a holy grail. It will not make you fluent in a new language on its own. I found Duolingo is the best tool to “start” as it is a great way to introduce yourself with a few thousand common vocabularies, verbs and grammar. It will also help you to construct common sentences and comprehend those basic conversations.
However, if you want to master a new language. You need more than just Duolingo. I found having another app such as “Memrise” alongside Duolingo is a good idea. Also, you may need to read a lot, talk a lot, and watch a lot. It’s good that tons of content can be found online nowadays. Just dig into YouTube, find things you like to watch in the language you desired to learn. Then, your language skill will improve over time. It is a good idea to find things you like so you can practice without feeling bored. Additionally, if it is also something you know well, it will also speed up the progress as you can basically understand it anyway even if you don’t really crack it out from the new language you are listening to.
I still use Duolingo every day, but much more intense than before. With additional learning from various sources, I found myself improving constantly, and Duolingo is keeping me motivating to practice a new language every day.
Learning something is always better than learning nothing.
Originally published at https://www.kannasoot.me on January 6, 2021.
